Treasure Island/Saint Pete Beach

[cyberdad]

(Mostly reposted from previous thread)

My focus so far has been to see if I can get something identifiable daytime from the other side of the gulf. I haven't been able to accomplish that so far. I thought my best chance might be KCTA on 1030. What I'm getting so far has been Spanish (Orlando area) with something unidentifiable underneath.

600 has been an interesting channel. I'm hearing very faint Spanish, but I don't think it's Cuba. Not sure what it could be. Unless WVOG has flipped, I don't know what it is.

I'm also getting a "glimmer" of something on 1700. It's also unidentifiable, so I don't know if I've got XEPE, Miami, or something else.

Lots of other interesting stuff to work through. I'll report anything that might be of interest.

 

[trusty]

I was on the small beach in Tarpon Springs last week approx. 3pm. Didn't have much time to DX, but I did pick up 1330 in Pensacola pretty well.

600 was weak but had an ad for WCWR. LOTS of Cuban stations also.

 

[drt]

There is a Cuban station on 600 that is a pest at night, I think before WDAE turned on their IBOC, I used to be able to receive it weakly during the day; of course I can't say if that's what you're hearing on Treasure Island. I do know that at night it's the same programming on 600, 610, 620 and 630; then 640 is Radio Progesso and 590, which I can pick up during the day is Classical.

WBOB 600 out of Jacksonville is still English conservative talk according to their website; welcoming Laura Ingrahm back to their airwaves in the morning.

Late this afternoon, I made a trip to northeastern Hernando county and WVLG did not make an appearance at all on I-275 until about midway between Bearss Ave and the Hillsborough/Pasco county line, the Cuban at 640 is just too strong to even hear WVLG underneath until I got about a mile north of Bearss Ave. Then by the time I got to Hernando county, WVLG was dominant and the Cuban station was barely heard in the background, this was between 5 and 5:30 PM, after sunset, the Cuban 640 can play havoc with WVLG unless you're within 12 or 13 miles of their tower in the Sumter county portion of the Villages. (studios are in the Lake county portion of the Villages).

Going south, in the area of business 41 (Tamiami Trail) and points west (toward the Gulf) you should be able to pick up 1600 out of Key West in the Vamo, Laurel, Nokomis and Venice area (at least it used to be possible), then as you head further south though the 1580 in Englewood-North Port would cause splatter on 1600.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the 1520 licensed to Indian Rocks Beach is using their daytime power 24/7, if not, they are really getting a lot of mileage out of their 17 watt night signal. That station was fined about 5 years ago, when as a daytimer, they would frequently not sign off until 11PM or midnight; they're programming is tri-lingual, English in the mornings, then Spanish and Greek later in the day.

Have you noticed the mess of 1180, where you hear the Cuban station jamming Radio Marti; that station is so strong that I picked them up just before sunset in Albany and the Cuban 1180 was actually interferring with WHAM 1180!

I guess you have probably also noticed the battle of the 710's, with 50,000 watt WAQI (conservative, anti-castro talk) being jammed by a string of 710's throughout Cuba. I can pick both up day and night depending on which direction I turn the radio, in the car, it's a mixture and that mixture pretty well keeps WOR 710 as being unreceivable in St. Pete; although I have heard WOR - briefly - in the background once or twice in the last year.

drt,
full of useless factoids!

 

[gar hi]

My focus so far has been to see if I can get something identifiable daytime from the other side of the gulf. I haven't been able to accomplish that so far. I thought my best chance might be KCTA on 1030. What I'm getting so far has been Spanish (Orlando area) with something unidentifiable underneath.

If you are able to make it out to Honeymoon Island, you should be able to get a more audible signal under the Spanish station.

This is how I hear it when I go there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsW21MVXM8Q

As I said in the other thread you started, it makes a difference depending on what beach you are on.

I'm also getting a "glimmer" of something on 1700. It's also unidentifiable, so I don't know if I've got XEPE, Miami, or something else.

Was this daytime?

On Honeymoon Island, WJCC can be heard daytime (though sometimes very weak) any time of year I've been there and there is always a fluttering behind it that I don't hear when I get WJCC daytime here in Tampa on some winter days.

I wonder if it's a trace of KVNS.

 

[cyberdad]

I'm also getting a "glimmer" of something on 1700. It's also unidentifiable, so I don't know if I've got XEPE, Miami, or something else.

Was this daytime?

On Honeymoon Island, WJCC can be heard daytime (though sometimes very weak) any time of year I've been there and there is always a fluttering behind it that I don't hear when I get WJCC daytime here in Tampa on some winter days.

I wonder if it's a trace of KVNS.

I said XEPE. My bad. I meant to say I may have had a trace of KVNS. My bad, and I apologize. And yes, I'm talking about daytime. KVNS has had a good nighttime signal here (good enough to pretty much wipe out Miami). I'm also talking about daytime with my next two comments.....

Trusty: I was trying for the Pensacola 1330 yesterday and today. No luck so far in terms of identifying anything, although there is something...very weak....on the channel. I'm far enough away from WTAN (1340) that it's not being a pest.

drt: I responded to your post on my other thread. I'll try to complete my shift and keep things here going forward. One thing I neglected to mention previously is that I'm trying to see what surfaces on 1600. I'd like to see if I can snag either Key West or KLEB from Louisiana. They put an impressive signal into the gulf. Problem is the local on 1590 has loads of splatter here.

 

[gar hi]

I'm glad you confirm what I've been saying for a while about KVNS likely making it all the way across the Gulf in the daytime, even if it's only a trace of their signal.

Most would never consider such a high frequency to be able to make it that far on a ground (saltwater) path but for whatever reason they get out far in the daytime as confirmed by many here.

If you hear the same thing every time you listen to 1700 the whole time you are there, I'd say it's a groundwave and not winter skywave.

I hear the same thing on 1700 at the Gulf midday regardless of what time of year it is.

 

[drt]

There is a 1330 in Lakeland, about 60 miles as the crow flies, but that being said, I would imagine that the 1330 out of Pensacola might be more receivable due to the salt water path.

I cannot imagine receiving 1600 from Key West in Sunset Beach, Treasure island etc due to the splatter from WRXB 1590, unless you have a radio where you can select narrow bandwidth. Even immediately south of the Sunshine Skyway (Palmetto and parts of Bradenton) , WRXB booms in.

Happy dx'ing!

drt.
st. petersburg,fl

 

[tomservo]

Any possibility of 1390 WROA from Gulfport, MS? 8 towers day and night, the vast majority of it going south into the Gulf.

 

[radioman148]

You already mentioned WLS fighting it out with the Cuban on 890. Any other Chicago stations getting down there?
I imagine WSCR is impossible, but I wonder if WGN makes the trip these days? I would guess that WBBM would be the best of the bunch.
I wonder if WMVP even has a chance?
In the 70s I heard then WCFL, on the east coast near the Miami area, but the interference is a whole lot worse now.

 

[DeadElvis]

Any possibility of 1390 WROA from Gulfport, MS? 8 towers day and night, the vast majority of it going south into the Gulf.

Many, many years ago, I was in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Looking for a US Station from which to get some news in English, I came across a very strong signal that mentioned "your Gulf Coast Coca Cola Bottler." It was WROA with a near-local signal.

An engineering buddy of mine once told me that the night DA has an ERP in the favorable lobe (straight out over the Gulf) of about 40 kW. And, yes... Honduras is right in the pattern. In the deepest null, ERP is only about 100W.

It's amazing they still maintain that DA. It has to be touchy.

DE

 

[drt]

Seems to me, before 1380 went 24/7 IBOC (they're the only station in the Tampa Bay area to run IBOC 24/7-- other IBOC stations in the area are on 620, 970, and 1250) I could receive 1390 at night as well as 1370 out of Pensacola; now.... at least from my location, that is all but impossible; but maybe 6 or 7 miles further to the west and on the Gulf at Sunset Beach in Treasure Island, that might be possible. Will have to wait on Mr. Cyberdad to check in and let us know.

I have to tell you that between the strong Cuban signals and IBOC even in a car or outside, dx'ing is increasingly becoming a bigger challenge; but if anyone could pull that one off it would be Cyberdad or GarFla.

Radioman; I have received WGN before but not all that well, with other stations in the mix, but right on the Gulf, hopefully there would be a better possibility for better reception of WGN. WBBM comes in better and more consistently than any other of the Chicago blowtorches.

drt,
st. petersburg

 

[cyberdad]

You already mentioned WLS fighting it out with the Cuban on 890. Any other Chicago stations getting down there?
I imagine WSCR is impossible, but I wonder if WGN makes the trip these days? I would guess that WBBM would be the best of the bunch.
I wonder if WMVP even has a chance?
In the 70s I heard then WCFL, on the east coast near the Miami area, but the interference is a whole lot worse now.

I heard WGN....with a pretty decent signal, no less....on the first night I got here (Wednesday, the 16th). I've heard snatches of it since then, but nowhere near as strong. It helps that 720 is relatively open here.6 or 7 years ago). The station up the road in the Ocala area apparently takes powering down very seriously, and is totally absent (in fact it was almost missing the last time I spent a night in Ocala about Haven't heard WBBM yet, which is a little surprising. I may have heard WMVP in the mix the other night, but couldn't confirm it....whatever I had came and left in a hurry. Spanish rules the channel, which I presume is XEOY, although I haven't heard their distinctive sounder...so I can't confirm. As for 670, I'm fighting splatter from the local 680 along with whatever is left of Miami, and of course, the 800-pound gorilla called R. Rebelde. So I'm not optimistic for WSCR.

 

[cyberdad]

Any possibility of 1390 WROA from Gulfport, MS? 8 towers day and night, the vast majority of it going south into the Gulf.

Great suggestion, Thanks! The problem will be nulling the local 1380...which so far has thwarted my attempts at WCOA on 1370.

It would be interesting to have WCOA turn up here, when for all intents and purposes it's invisible on Perdido Key.

 

[TerryKay]

I post some scans and other stuff, including from Honeymoon daytime, on some of my sub-pages off of:

https://sites.google.com/site/floridadxn/florida-low-power-radio-stations

 

[cd637299]

If the Spanish on 600 is not Cuba, could it be XEZ Merida, Yucatan? (that is, if it still exists)

I have heard faint WVOG AND WBOB (likely WBWL at the time) fight it out in the day from Levy Park near Yankeetown, just like the 690 battle N.O./Jax on 690.

Maybe I will give Honeymoon Island another try in late June, when practically everything daytime on AM is groundwave.

cd

 

[radioman148]

You already mentioned WLS fighting it out with the Cuban on 890. Any other Chicago stations getting down there?
I imagine WSCR is impossible, but I wonder if WGN makes the trip these days? I would guess that WBBM would be the best of the bunch.
I wonder if WMVP even has a chance?
In the 70s I heard then WCFL, on the east coast near the Miami area, but the interference is a whole lot worse now.

I heard WGN....with a pretty decent signal, no less....on the first night I got here (Wednesday, the 16th). I've heard snatches of it since then, but nowhere near as strong. It helps that 720 is relatively open here.6 or 7 years ago). The station up the road in the Ocala area apparently takes powering down very seriously, and is totally absent (in fact it was almost missing the last time I spent a night in Ocala about Haven't heard WBBM yet, which is a little surprising. I may have heard WMVP in the mix the other night, but couldn't confirm it....whatever I had came and left in a hurry. Spanish rules the channel, which I presume is XEOY, although I haven't heard their distinctive sounder...so I can't confirm. As for 670, I'm fighting splatter from the local 680 along with whatever is left of Miami, and of course, the 800-pound gorilla called R. Rebelde. So I'm not optimistic for WSCR.

WGN was the most reliable Chicago signal when I was in Puerto Rico a few years ago, although when WLS came in it was the strongest. That surprised me.

 

[TerryKay]

600 Rebelde de Cuba, WBOB Jax and WVOG are the most dominant on the Pinellas QTH coast here, day and night.

 

[cyberdad]

If the Spanish on 600 is not Cuba, could it be XEZ Merida, Yucatan?  (that is, if it still exists)

I have heard faint WVOG AND WBOB (likely WBWL at the time) fight it out in the day from Levy Park near Yankeetown, just like the 690 battle N.O./Jax on 690.

Maybe I will give Honeymoon Island another try in late June, when practically everything daytime on AM is groundwave.

cd

I stand to be corrected, but I believe David Eduardo had said a few months ago that XEZ had moved to FM. I had been thinking that there was a station not far south of Brownsville (TX), but realized later that what I was thinking about was on 590...not 600.

 

[cyberdad]

600 Rebelde de Cuba, WBOB Jax and WVOG are the most dominant on the Pinellas QTH coast here, day and night.

I'm still not sure what I've been hearing daytime on 600. I was wondering about WVOG....especially since I think I had WSHO (800 New Orleans) early this afternoon. Night is definitely R. Rebelde.

 

[cyberdad]

Here's a little update after one week here. In general, I'm feeling a little frustrated for two reasons. First, nighttime conditions haven't been all that great. Secondly, while my location is relatively noise free, there's still just enough noise to make identifying weak signals somewhat problematic. Having locals adjacent to some of the channels doesn't help matters.

Bottom line is I'm hearing lots of weak signals in the places I'm looking, but I'm having a tough time identifying them. Frustrating....but I'm still having fun with it! ;D

Here's what's going on in some of the places I've been hanging out....

590: I think I'm getting WDIZ underneath the Cuban. I've also noticed that the Cuban station seems to vary in strength during the daytime. I'm not sure about this, since there's electrical noise on the channel. But maybe the Castro Brothers don't place a high priority on keeping their classical music station fully powered!

600: I'm hearing something very faint here daytime in Spanish. At first I didn't think it was R. Rebelde, but after a week I can't say that for sure. No WBOB or WVOG.

660: Looking for Mobile, AL. Hearing something, but not sure what.

720: WGN continues to be the most reliable Chicago signal at night....but very weak.

740: Orlando is a pest night and day. I hear English talk underneath night and day (along with occasional Spanish at night). Presume KTRH....which is what I'm looking for....but can't confirm. I've also heard snippets of music at night, but can't confirm CFZM.

800: Looking for WSHO. Hearing what sounds like English Talk or Religion, but can't identify it.

980: Looking for WRNE (Pensacola), but lots of splatter from WFLA on 970

1030: Faint Spanish with English in the Background. Assume Orlando is the Spanish, but can't confirm KCTA is what's behind it. Having a local on 1040 doesn't help matters.

1070: I've been trying for KNX. I've been getting what almost sounds like a GY channel!

1370/1390: Looking for WCOA and WROA respectively. So far, too much splatter from local 1380.

1560: I did catch KGOW the other day a couple hours after local sunrise. Need to investigate further.

1600: Looking for KLEB. No trace of them. They might be off or on STA. I thought I might have heard talk (Key West) under the local on 1590, but I'm not sure about that.

1620: I'm pretty sure I heard WNRP under Cuba, but haven't been able to identify.

1700: I've heard something here daytime, but its incredibly weak, and I'm not sure if it's the carrier from KVNS (as I originally suspected....perhaps too optimistically). The first night or two here was KVNS. Since then, its been Miami.

Thoughts/comments/suggestions/criticisms always welcome. I appreciate all your inputs so far. I'll update further as circumstances dictate.